Unix Backup and Recovery

Chapter 17. ClearCase Backup & Recovery

ClearCase is a software configuration management tool developed and marketed by Rational, Inc. ClearCase is most commonly used in software projects involving at least several developers but often in environments with hundreds of developers in many groups. Like many other chapters in this book, this chapter is here due to ClearCase’s popularity. Since I’ve been asked hundreds of times about how to back up and recover ClearCase, I thought it would make a great addition to this book.

The following description can be found on the ClearCase web site (http://www.rational.com/products/ClearCase):

ClearCase provides comprehensive configuration management, including version control, workspace management, build management, and process control—without forcing you to change your existing environment, your tools, or the way you work.

As with almost any DBMS, ClearCase must be quiescent before backups can be performed. Hence, the general strategy is to lock or make unavailable the items(s) being backed up, do the backup, and then reactivate the ClearCase access to those items. This may seem like a simplistic approach, but it is the most reliable. In the following sections, you will see this paradigm used extensively.

Tip

This chapter was written by Bob Fulwiler, who lives outside Seattle, Washington, and specializes in Unix system administration and software configuration management. Bob may be reached at [e-mail].

ClearCase Architecture

I’ll begin with ...